Experience in connection with the removal of water-tubes and fire-tubes from within power boilers for replacement using a tube-end gap-cutting tool of the type disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,209 granted to Weeks et al. has shown that because of depth-of-cut procedural limitations that may be in effect to avoid possible drum wall damage, or sometimes because of gap-cutting tool construction characteristics, sufficient gap metal in a remaining boiler tube end segment is not removed in the initial longitudinal gap cutting operation and particularly at the tube segment flared end. In some instances little or not flared-end metal at the gap location is initially removed using the known gap-cutting tool.
In order to properly accomplish preparation of a retained boiler tube flared-end segment for subsequent final gap metal removal steps of "peeling" and "crushing", I have devised a novel tool, sometimes called a "nipper" tool, that properly shears and bends to-be-removed gap metal in the boiler tube flared end to thereby complete the preliminary formation of the tube gap without damaging or removing metal from the co-operating boiler tube drum wall.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the descriptions, drawings, and claims which follow.